Alcácer do Sal

Alcácer do Sal rises above the Sado, a river that linked its port to the Atlantic. The Romans called it Salacia, a center of the salt trade; under Islamic rule it became al-Qaṣr, a fortified town with a fleet and an arsenal. Its position made it a prize in the struggles between Portugal and al-Andalus. In 1217 Portuguese forces and northern European crusaders besieged the castle. A Muslim relief army was defeated, and the garrison surrendered in October. Afonso II granted Alcácer a charter the following year and entrusted it to the Order of Santiago, which made the town a base for its advance into the Alentejo and Algarve. The order retained its headquarters here for centuries.